Rule 9 [ Administration of Estates (Northern Ireland) Order 1979]

Where any person against whom an action would have lain has died but the cause of action survives, the action may, if no grant of probate or administration has been made, be brought against the estate of the deceased.

Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), an action brought against “the personal representatives of AB deceased” shall be treated for the purposes of that paragraph as having been brought against his estate.

^f1 An action purporting to have been commenced against a person shall be treated, if he was dead at its commencement, as having been commenced against his estate in accordance with paragraph (1), whether or not a grant of probate or administration was made before its commencement.]

In any such action as is referred to in paragraph (1) or (3)—

Before making an order under paragraph (4) [ the judge or district judge as the case may be] may notice to be given to any insurer of the deceased who has an interest in the proceedings an such (if any) of the persons having an interest in the estate as he thinks fit.

Where no grant of probate or administration has been made, any decree granted in the proceedings shall bind the estate to the same extent as it would have been bound if a grant had been made and a personal representative of the deceased had been a party to the proceedings.